Beantown Beats: Avenue

Let’s be honest. Boston is known for a lot of things: education, history, the “friendly” people, the young college population. Rap music is not one of those things. For most Americans, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago (and Atlanta, Seattle, and Miami to those who are more familiar) come to mind as rap hotspots. Boston, a city with immense pride and plenty of musical culture, is somehow not known nationally for rap music. Yet if anyone decides (like I did) to do some digging, you will find that the underground scene is crowded with dozens of young voices hoping to become the voice of the as yet unclaimed city.

This column will feature the best of the underground Boston rap scene. We hope to expose you to new artists, events, movements, and help the city’s scene grow.

The first Beantown Beats featured artist is Avenue, a young native of the South End. Recently featured in XXL, he has been gathering a substantial underground local following. His flow is graceful and his raps about future success sound earnest and possible over well-produced jazzy samples. He recently released his Summer of ’91 EP, five tracks of slick, chill rap, perfect for late night drives and relaxing hangouts. He spends most of the EP dreaming of success, telling you that he’ll get there, and discussing his youth. Luckily, there is enough variety there to keep the EP exciting and very promising from such a young voice. I’m excited to see more from this kid. He’s definitely a front runner for the city’s crown. Download his EP and see why.